ARLINGTON, Virginia– Yesterday, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC, BoldProgressives.org) endorsed Justin Fairfax for the next Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Founded in 2009, the PCCC is a million-member grassroots organization building power at the local, state, and federal levels. It engages in electoral work and issue advocacy work on democracy issues and for economic populist priorities. The PCCC has raised over $22 million in grassroots donations for its electoral and advocacy work, and directly for progressive candidates and committees. Their candidates include Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congressman Jamie Raskin, and many other Democrats who want to move our country forward. They have over 1 million members nationwide, including 23,000 in Virginia.

The PCCC endorsed Justin, along with five other Democratic candidates in Virginia, and released this statement about him:

“Justin Fairfax (Lt. Gov.) is a young, rising star in Virginia Democratic politics. A former federal prosecutor, Justin won nearly 49 percent of the statewide primary vote for Attorney General of Virginia and The Washington Post endorsement in his first ever run for office in 2013. He would be only the second African-American candidate in Virginia’s history elected to statewide office. His policy priorities center on economic security and opportunity, dramatically reducing the crushing burden of student loan debt, providing high-quality education to our students, criminal justice reform, and protecting civil rights and voting rights.”

After hearing of the PCCC’s endorsement, Justin Fairfax released the following statement:

“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of the PCCC, as we share a goal of enacting bold, progressive change that tangibly improves working families’ lives. I’ve traveled over 30,000 miles across the Commonwealth of Virginia in the last year meeting people where they are and promoting our message of economic security and opportunity for all. I look forward to working together with the PCCC on dramatically reducing the crushing burden of student loan debt, ensuring equality and opportunity for all, and moving Virginia forward through our primary election on June 13 and beyond.”

The PCCC proudly announced its endorsement of the following bold progressives running in key state-level races in Virginia: Justin Fairfax for Lieutenant Governor, Danica Roem (VA-HD13), Chris Hurst (VA-HD12), Elizabeth Guzman (VA-HD31), Jennifer Carroll Foy (VA-HD02), and Schuyler VanValkenburg (VA-HD72). The PCCC is making a major investment in state races in 2017 as part of their 2020 project to flip state legislatures blue and build on the surge of grassroots enthusiasm seen across the country, especially in districts like KS-04 and GA-06.

Facts about the PCCC and its endorsed candidates:

The PCCC has over 1 million members nationwide, including over 23,000 in Virginia.

The PCCC has raised over $8 million for progressive candidates and committees since its founding in 2009 — including over $1.17 million for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s 2012 Senate run.

PCCC staffers are in Virginia, coordinating on the ground with campaigns — organizing supporters, training volunteers, and helping get candidates’ bold progressive messages out to voters.

The PCCC runs an intensive candidate training program, which teaches candidates best practices for modern campaigns. The PCCC will hold a local training seminar for Virginia candidates in Fairfax on May 20.